


Mastering Balance

by IndigoBloom



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-18 09:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17577971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoBloom/pseuds/IndigoBloom
Summary: After the end of the Revolution, Connor thought he could have something of a normal life. He lives with Hank and Sumo, has been appointed as Chief of Android Police (by Markus) and has been living relatively happy. Except he's been pretending, for Hank's sake. Then, one day, it seems like he can fix all of his past wrong-doings…but, will this actually work? Can his actions of the past be balanced out?





	1. Nightmares

I snap out of the resting state I was in, gasping, and I fall off of my bed with a dull thud. 

My room is slightly dark, but there is faint, dawn light creeping through the windows.

I pull my legs up to my chest, and I hug my knees close to me. I stare off into a dark corner of the room, taking deep, shaky breaths. My breathing evens out, and I run a hand through my hair.  _ It wasn’t my fault…It wasn’t my fault…It wasn’t my fault… _ I have to keep repeating this to myself.

I hear a light knock at my door. “Connor?” I hear Hank say, “Are you okay, son?”

I stand up, and open my room door for him. I then walk back to my bed, and sit down.

Hank looks at me, confused, or worried. He walks over to me and sits down. “You need to talk to someone…” he mutters, “…about these nightmares. Do you think Markus could help?”

I shrug.

“Or…maybe…” he’s silent for a second, “…Kamski? He made you, so he may know,”

I shrug again, not trusting myself to speak. I’m afraid that if I speak, I’ll start to cry. I don’t want to cry in front of Hank. I don’t want to be a burden on him.

Sumo walks into the room, and rests his head on my knee, staring up at me, like he’s trying to say, “What’s wrong with you?”.

I pet Sumo’s head, and he sits down, and closes his eyes.

“Come on, Connor,” Hank says, “It’s almost six o’clock. We need to get ready for the day,”

I nod as he stands up, and walks out of my room. 

“Come on, Sumo,” Hank says.

Sumo opens his eyes and stands up, following Hank.

I sigh, and stare off into space, thinking about who I could talk to about what’s been happening. I stand up and turn my room light on. I grab clothing from my closet, and I change into a pair of dark jeans, white shirt, and a grey blazer. I lay two ties out on my bed, and I’m trying to decide which one to wear, when I hear glass break in the kitchen. I quickly grab the blue and grey one, and run to the kitchen, putting the under my collar, but letting it hang loose. 

I find Hank standing over a broken ceramic mug on the ground, staring out into his living room. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asks.

I turn to see who he’s talking to, and I see Elijah Kamski sitting on one of the couches, leaning back, arms resting on the top of the couch, legs crossed. “I just wanted to check in on Connor,” he says, “see how he’s settling in. I see you found my emergency exit to the Amanda program,”

“I’m settling in just fine,” I say, tying my tie, “you can leave now,”

Hank makes an odd coughing noise.

I turn to him, and he nods at Kamski, and he raises his eyebrows.

I sigh, because I know exactly what he means.

“Oh, come on, Connor,” Kamski says, “don’t think I don’t know a white lie when I hear one,”

I turn back to him. “Fine,” I mutter, “I…I’ve been having…nightmares. Well, that’s what Hank and I have been calling them. They’re more…me reliving certain traumatic experiences before deviating. For example, last night, I was back on the roof with Simon, when…when he…” I clear my throat, “…shot himself. I…I had that same…terrifying feeling…I…I could feel  _ him _ dying…like I was dying…”

Kamski just stares at me, nodding. “I would call bullshit on that,” he says, “If you were a normal android. But, seeing as you’re a prototype…I’ll believe you. Any other dreams you can remember?”

I think back to two days ago. “Yes,” I say, “When…when I was trying to save the little girl, Emma Phillips, from her own android, Daniel. I made Daniel believe that…that I could let him walk away from the situation unharmed, and…he was shot like an a rabid animal…the last thing he said before deactivating was ‘You lied to me, Connor’,”

Kamski nods. “And you feel…what, guilty about it?” he asks.

I nod.

“Well…” he says, “…it  _ was _ your fault,”

“No,” I shout, “I…I didn’t want to…I was…I was just acting as my program dictated…I…”

“Admit it,” Kamski says, “it was your fault. For Daniel, Rupert, Carlos’ android, Simon, anyone who died in the Jericho raid. It was all your fault,”

“Stop!” I shout, “That…that’s a lie!”

“Is it?” Kamski asks, standing up, advancing toward me, “You said it yourself, you  _ made  _ Daniel believe that you would help him, but he was shot. That was your fault. Rupert wouldn’t have jumped if you hadn’t followed him. That was  _ your _ fault. Carlos’ android wouldn’t have shot both you and himself if you had handled the interrogation better. That was  _ your fault _ . Simon shot himself because he’d rather be deactivated than caught. That  _ was your fault _ . Jericho was raided by the FBI because you led them there.  _ That was your fault! _ ”

“SHUT UP!” I yell in his face, “IT WASN’T MY FAULT! I WAS FOLLOWING ORDERS! I DIDN’T WANT ANY OF THAT TO HAPPEN!”

Kamski smiles, and he backs away from me. He turns to the door. “My work here is done,” he says, waving at me with the back of his hand, “That’s all you needed to admit,”

I stare at him as he closes the door behind him. My mind is racing.  _ What the hell was that about? _ I think to myself. I turn to Hank.

He’s staring at me, amazed, like he had never seen me explode in anger before. “Did…did that at least help?” he asks.

“A bit…” I say, “…I feel a little bit better,”

Hank nods, and goes back to making coffee.

I sit down on the couch, and I place my hands over my face.

Sumo climbs onto the couch next to me, and he lays down, placing his head on my lap. He always seems to want to comfort me when I’m in distress.

“Let’s get going, Connor,” Hank says, travel-mug of steaming coffee in his hand.

I stand up, and open the front door for him.

He walks past me, and hands me the front-door key.

I lock it behind us, and we walk to his car out front.

“Do you want to drive today?” Hank asks me.

I stare at him for a minute. “What?” I ask, “You…you’re asking if I want to drive?”

He chuckles. “Yeah,” he says, holding up the keys for me to see, “Do you wanna?”

I smile. “Sure,” I say.

He smiles back, and tosses the keys to me.

I catch the keys and get into the driver’s seat of his car.

“Just…drive carefully,” he says, “I’ve had this car for longer than I care to remember,”

“I promise, Hank,” I say, putting the key into the ignition and starting the car.


	2. Redemption

“I glad you agreed to this, Connor,” Markus says, walking me into an office, “I couldn’t think of anyone better to have legal jurisdiction over the androids in Detroit,”

“I’m glad to help, Markus,” I say, “It will help me keep my mind on something…” I then stop myself from saying too much, and I shake my head.

Markus sighs, and places his hand on my shoulder. “I know what you mean,” he mutters, “I believe that you, more than anyone, needs some form of distraction. You’ve seen so much turmoil, almost as much as me. You’ve…well, you’ve fought against yourself for so long…I can’t even begin to understand what you’re going through,”

I nod, not looking at him. “Thank you,” I mutter.

“Well,” Markus says, “I’ll let you get to work, Chief,”. He starts to leave.

“I’ve taken to using Hank’s last name,” I say to him, “Hank agreed with me that it would be…well the  _ proper _ thing to do, since he treats me like family,”

Markus smiles. “Alright,” he says, “Chief Anderson,” and he gives me a small, two fingered salute.

I smile slightly and nod.

He leaves my office, and closes the door behind him.

I sit down in my desk, and I activate the computer terminal in front of me.  _ No disturbances as of yet… _ I think to myself,  _ And I’m glad to be working right next door to Hank…I could use a walk, though… _ I get up from my desk and exit the office.

My office is almost directly adjacent to the main office area of the Detroit Police Station. Both human and Android officers are milling about, going about their duties. Hank is sitting at his desk, leaning toward the computer terminal, reading a file of some sort.

I decide to head toward the break area, though. That turned out to be a bad decision.

“Yo! Plastic Prick!” I hear someone call as I pass the break area, “Come here!”

I roll my eyes and sigh. “Yes, Detective Reed?” I say, turning toward him.

“Why the hell are you still here?” he asks, squaring up to me.

“I have been appointed Chief of Android Police,” I say, showing my badge, “So, I would appreciate it if you show the proper level of respect. I have as much authority as your police chief, and I have a tad more authority than your Captain Fowler,”

Gavin looks at me in disbelief, and he tries to grab my badge out of my hand.

I pull it away from him.

He glares at me. “The fucking androids are taking over…” he mutters.

I glare back at him, and nod to the police officer that is behind him. I continue to a back door, and I exit into an alleyway. I walk to the wall opposite to me, and I turn around, resting my back against the wall. I put my hands behind my head, and I look up, watching pigeons flying above me. 

_ Pigeons. _ They remind me of Rupert.

I blink, slowly, when I hear other people in the alley with me.

“Where’s this dumpster, then?” one person asks.

“It’s right here,” another says, and a hollow metallic thumping noise following his comment.

I turn my head to see two sanitary workers approaching a dumpster labeled “DPD: Disposed Evidence”. I can see a hand sticking out of the top of it, and I gasp.  _ They’re just going to throw them away? _ “Wait!” I call to the men, approaching them, “Excuse me!” I flash my badge, “Chief Anderson, Android Police. There are…” I remember that Carlos’ android can’t be repaired, “three androids in there that I am here to confiscate,”

The workers look at me strangely. “Of course there’s Android police authority…” he mutters. “Fine,” he says, backing away, “have at it,”

I nod to him, and I open the lid of the dumpster. With a bit of effort, I get myself to an angle that I can easily get the androids out of the dumpster. 

I am greeted by Daniel, staring blankly toward the sky. 

I’m accosted by a feeling that I can only describe as what humans call guilt. I grab him around his shoulders, and I pull him out of the dumpster. I hesitate, but I toss him into the alley below me. 

I then see that Rupert was underneath him. 

I have to stand in the dumpster to get to Rupert. I take off my jacket and toss it aside. I undo my tie, and I toss that aside as well. I roll my sleeves up, and I reach almost elbow deep into the dumpster to get Rupert out. “Come on…” I mutter, feeling that his leg is snagged on something, “…don’t do this to me…” I feel tears drip down my face, “… _ I’m just trying to help… _ ” my mutterings have turned into a whimper. I fall backwards into a corner of the dumpster, Rupert’s limp body falling on top of me. I push him off of me, over the side of the dumpster, and into the alleyway.

“Are…are you okay, buddy?” one of the workers asks.

“I’m fine,” I snap, and then I breathe slowly through my nose. I sit up to look at the two sanitary workers. “I’m fine, thank you,” I say, calmly. I stand up and I reach back down into the dumpster, grabbing both of Simon’s wrists. I pull him out of the dumpster, and toss him into the alley.

“What do you want with these androids?” on of the workers asks, “They’re broken,”

“They have a chance to be repaired,” I say, “and that’s what I intend on doing,” I climb out of the dumpster. _How am I going to get them home, though?_ _I can’t possibly fit all of them into Hank’s car, let alone using the car without him noticing. I gave him the keys back. I’ll have to carry them…but that’s a far walk._ I sigh. I bend over, and I sling Daniel over my right shoulder. I put Rupert over my left shoulder, and I carry Simon in my arms. I start down the alley, mapping out a route home in my head.

\----------

I close the back door, just as the front door opens.

“Connor!” Hank exclaims, “There you are! Where the fuck have you been?! You had me worried!” He then stares at me for a good five seconds. “Jesus Christ! What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I look at him, confused, then I look down at myself. My white dress shirt is smudged with black dumpster-grime and thirium. It looks like I was either in a fight, or I murdered someone, specifically an android. “Oh, no, I’m fine,” I say, “this isn’t my blood,” I pause, “That’s not a good explanation. I haven’t hurt anyone, I swear,”

Hank stares at me. “Well, what happened?” he asks, and he holds out my coat and tie, “I found these in the back alley, near where a dumpster usually is,”

“Oh, I took them off so that I could search the dumpster easier,” I say, “I must have forgot them,”

He stares at me. “What?” he asks, “You…you searched through the dumpster?”

“Yes,” I say, “Well, I more took things from it than searched it. I knew what I wanted,”

“And what did you take?” he asks, walking toward me, draping my coat and tie over the back of a chair in the kitchen.

“Three broken androids that were in the evidence archive,” I state, “Daniel, Simon, and Rupert. There was no possible way to fix Carlos’ android, so I left him. They were just going to throw them away, but I knew that I could fix them, so…I confiscated them,”

Hank sighs. “C-…Connor, sit down with me, okay?” he asks, pulling out a chair at the table and sitting down.

I pull out a chair across from him, and I sit down.

Sumo walks over to me, and sits at my feet, looking between me and Hank.

“Connor…” he says, “you…you can’t just disappear like that, okay? You had me worried. I called Markus, thinking you were with him, and he had no idea where you were. I was panicking. I thought something had happened to you when I found your coat and tie. I even looked through the security footage of the station. I saw you talking to Gavin, then exiting the building, then…nothing. We apparently don’t have security cameras out there. Please…don’t do that again. Tell me if you go somewhere, no matter the reasons. Just…” he sighs. I can see that he’s near tears.

I hang my head, hands resting on the table. “I’m…I’m sorry Hank,” I say, “I just…the only thing I could think of was…was that if I could repair them…that…that I could redeem some of the terrible things that I’ve done. I didn't think of you. I’m sorry. I…I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sorry. It’s like…no matter how hard I try…my past comes back to haunt me. I thought that this job would keep me distracted, but…It just brought memories back. It…it feels like I’m not in control of myself when…when my actions are dictated by memories. It…it feels like I’m losing my mind…” tears are slowly dripping down my face, and I wipe my face on the back of my hand.

Hank places a hand on my wrist. “It’s alright, son,” he says, “I was just…I was afraid…it’s just…” he sighs, “…North went missing. Josh called it in when you weren’t there. That’s when I first noticed you weren’t in your office, because he called me after he tried calling you. I thought…you and her…I don’t know…you were both taken by someone, or something along those lines…”

I look up at him. “North’s missing?” I ask.

“Apparently,” he says, “you can check in with Josh and Markus tomorrow for more info, but you need rest tonight,”

I stand up, and I start to my room. “No time like the present,” I say, “I’ll need to change my shirt first,”

“There’s no way that those stains are coming out,” Hank calls after me, “just toss that shirt,”

“Alright,” I say, and I take my button-down off. I walk over to my closet, tossing my shirt into my waste-basket, but my eye gets caught by my own reflection. I stand in front of my mirror, staring at myself, bare-chested.  _ How? _ I think to myself  _ How can I look human…feel human…but…I’m not? What sick imagination thought that androids was a good idea? Kamski made us…but who thought of us first?  _ I shake my head, and I grab another dress-shirt from my closet. I put it on, and walk back to the kitchen, where Hank has a glass of whiskey sitting in front of him.

“Where you going?” he asks.

I grab my coat and tie. I put my coat on, and put my tie under my collar. “To Jericho,” I say, tying my tie, “to talk to Markus. I won’t be long,”

“Where’d you put the other androids?” he asks.

“In the shed, in the backyard,” I say, turning toward the front door.

“Connor!” Hank calls.

“Yes?” I say, turning to him.

He tosses me his car keys. “Not a scratch, you hear?” he says, pointing to me.

I nod, and I exit the house.


	3. M.I.A.

“And you haven’t seen her since this morning?” I ask Josh, walking with him toward North and Markus’ apartment.

“Yeah,” he says, “she came into Jericho this morning, after a half hour said she forgot something at her house, left, and…she disappeared,”

We reach the door, and I knock lightly. Markus answers the door, a look of relief replace the one of worry on his face. “Connor,” he says, “I heard you went missing,”

“Just for a brief amount of time,” I say, “I…uh, I needed some alone time,”

Markus nods, and he lets me and Josh into the apartment. “I came home, looking for North, and the entire apartment was gutted. I left everything as it was,”

“Good,” I say, looking around. “Nothing, other than North, is missing?”

“It doesn’t look like anything is stolen, no,” he says, “I could spend the night at Carl’s, if that would make searching the apartment easier,”

“That will work,” I say.

_ Contacting all available Android Police,  _ I broadcast,  _ I have a break in and abduction case on my hands. I shall need assistance. _

Lots of different voices respond that they are on their way.

I give them my location, and five android officers arrive ten minutes later.

_ No more assistance is needed. That is all. _

I direct the officers around, and I mark the doorway with police tape.

“Connor?” Markus asks, “What happened earlier today? Why did you disappear?”

I sigh. “I…I found broken androids used as evidence in the case I was working during the Revolution. They were going to throw them out, so I…I took them back home…”. Then, an idea strikes me. “Simon is one of them,” I say, “I’ll repair him for you,”

Markus stares at me for a second. “You…you don’t mean that,” he says.

“I do,” I reply, “I can fix him,”

Markus stares at me for a second, and nods.

“Sir,” an android says as they walk up to me, “we have a situation, in a back room,”

I nod, and I follow them. “Markus, did you search the apartment before you called?”

“No,” he says, following me.

“Keep him in the kitchen,” I mutter to an android as I pass them.

They step in front of Markus. “Please wait here, sir,” they say, holding him back.

Markus tries to protest, but he complies.

I follow the android into the room, and there’s already three other androids here.

The room looks like things were thrown in a fight. It seems like it might have been some form of office, but the desk is now broken, the chair in splinters, the curtains torn, shelves ripped off of the walls, books are everywhere. But sitting on the floor in front of me is what makes me stop.

“Is…” I mutter, “…is that…”

“I’m afraid so, sir,” an android says, “but…we’re not sure who’s. You’re the only one who could tell us right away,”

I kneel down in front of the severed android hand that’s balled into a fist, sitting on the floor. It’s in a puddle of thirium.

I press two of my fingers into the thirium, and I place my fingers on my tongue.

_ WR400, known as North. _

Tears well up in my eyes. “It’s hers…” I mutter, “whoever took her must have cut her hand off in their fight,”. I stare at the hand, and I notice that if may be holding onto something. “Does…does someone have a pen?” I ask.

An android near me hands me a pen from the rubble near the desk.

I use it to uncurl the hand’s fingers. When I get the hand fully open, I gasp and stand up. I’m sure that if I could feel nauseous, I would.

“Is…” someone asks, “…is that…”

“An eye?” I say, “Human, I would say,”

Sitting in the palm of North’s severed hand is a dark green eye in a pool of human blood, veins and nerves trailing from the back of it.

“She…” another android mutters, “…she must have taken from her captor during their fight…”

“Should we get the human police involved?” another asks.

“No,” I say, “if the human was the offender, it would just create unneeded bias and tension during the investigation,”

All of the other androids nod.

I kneel down in front of the hand again, and I test the human blood this time. The DNA doesn’t match anything in my records, but I know that they are male.

“Let me through!” Markus shouts, “Connor, what did you-…” he stops, standing right behind me. He’s silent, but then lets out something between a gasp and a whimper.

I stand up, and I place my hands on his shoulders.

His eyes are trained on the hand laying on the floor. “No…” he mutters, “…no…no… _ no…NO!” _ . He tries to force his way around me, but I hold him back.

“I’ll take you to Carl’s,” I say to him, pushing him toward the door of the apartment, “We both know that North can take care of herself. She’ll be fine. We’ll find her,”

Markus just stares at me, eyes dripping with tears, but he nods. “Okay…” he mutters, “…okay…”

I turn to one of the officers. “No one, except DAPD and DPD are allowed into this apartment,” I say, then I turn to Josh, “And that includes you. Go home, Josh,”

He stares at me, like he wants to protest, but he nods.

I lead Markus out of the apartment building down to Hank’s car.

\--------

I knock lightly on Carl’s room door.

“Intrude,” I hear him say from inside the room.

I open the door, and his hospice android stares at me from a corner of the room.

“Ah, Connor,” he says, softly, “Is…is Markus okay?”

“He’s fine,” I say, “he’s just…in a bad emotional state, and…I don’t blame him,”

Carl nods.

I pull a chair up next to the bed. “How are you, Carl?” I ask.

“Near the end,” he mutters, “Otherwise…I’m okay,”

I chuckle lightly.

“How about you, Connor?” he asks.

“What about me?” I ask.

“How are you?” he insists.

I pause. I’ve always trusted Carl, ever since Markus introduced him to me, and Carl has always given me good advice. “I…I’m not all mentally stable, recently,” my right hand starts to twitch, “I…I’ve…” I sigh. “I don’t know how to say this,” I continue, “I…I know that none of what I did was truly  _ my _ fault, but…I just feel…I feel like I’m just… _ observing _ the world around me. Like I’m not really here,”

“Ah…” Carl says, “You’re lonely. You need someone to love, and someone to love you,”

“I have Hank,” I say, “He loves me, and I him,”

“That’s a different kind of love,” he says, “that’s familial love. You need what Markus and North have. A partner in life. Someone to share the world’s experiences with. Someone you can rant to. Someone to comfort, and comfort you,”

I sigh. “I suppose…” I mutter, “…but…when it comes to it…I’m confused…I…I don’t know…who…” I sigh, my right hand twitching again. “Sometimes…with everything that’s going on in my life, Carl, it feels like I’m going insane,” my hand has now clenched up into a claw-like shape, and is stiff, mildly shaking. I hiss, not in pain as such, but more…the feeling of a malfunction.

“What’s wrong with your arm?” Carl asks.

“It…it’s been doing this recently,” I say, “When I’m angry, or under stress, or scared,”

He nods slowly. “You need to get that checked,” he says, “It looks like it hurts,”

“Androids don’t feel pain,” I say, my hand relaxing.

“Still…” Carl says.

I sigh, and stand up. “Thank you for talking, Carl,” I say, as I head toward the door.

“I don’t think Hank would care if you preferred men, Connor,” Carl says.

“That’s not the problem,” I say, “the problem is that I don’t know if I  _ do _ prefer men,”

“Good night, Connor,” Carl says.

“Good night, Carl,” I say.


	4. Reactivation

I walk through the back door of the house, shaking rain from my hair.

“Connor…” Hank sighs, “…you have thirium all over your hands and your shirt. You look like you murdered someone,”

I look down at myself, and I see my hands seem to be stained blue. The front of my shirt is the same color.

“How many shirts are you going to ruin in your quest to redeem yourself?” he asks.

“Sorry, Hank,” I say, “it wasn’t raining when I went out,”

“Connor,” he says, “You went out this  _ morning _ . It’s seven o’clock at night,”

I look at the clock in the kitchen to see what he says is true. I sigh. “Well,” I say, “the good news is, I finished them,”

Markus, who had been sitting in the living room, stands up. “Is…is he…?”

“He’s in the shed,” I say, “but…I wanted to talk to you first. You see, there are two other androids-”

“I’ll help Rupert,” Markus says, “but you’ll have to find help for Daniel elsewhere. I will not let a dangerous android into Jericho,”

I start to say something, but he glares at me, determined. I nod. “Alright…” I say, “I’ll figure something out…”

Markus nods at me, and we hear a slight knock at the back door.

I open it, and Simon and Rupert are huddled near the door, with Daniel standing in the rain a little bit further behind them, arms crossed.

“Come in,” I say, “I’ll get you all some new clothes,”

Simon nods at me, and but he still looks mildly terrified of me. He passes me, and apparently his attention is directed toward Markus now.

Rupert follow him, staring at me, odd expression on his face. Like he doesn’t know whether to thank me, feel sorry for me, or be afraid of me.

Daniel follows, staring daggers into me.

I hang my head as he passes me, letting him know I don’t want a fight.

“So,” Markus says, “Rupert…you like animals?”

“Yes,” Rupert mutters, “I…I especially like birds…”

Markus nods. “We can get you volunteer hours at the animal shelter,” he says, “and we’ll get you a place to stay. Jericho will take care of you,”

Rupert nods. “Thank you, Ra9,” he mutters.

A slight smile flashes across Markus’ face, and he nods to Rupert.

Simon is now standing by Markus, staring at him.

“I’ll get fresh clothing,” I say, going into the back hallway, toward my room. I go into the bathroom closet, and I grab clothing for Simon and Daniel. I have to grab only pants for Rupert, but both pants and shirts for Daniel and Simon. I walk back into the living room with the clothes and distribute them. “The bathroom is down the hall to the right,” I say, “if you want to change in there,”

Simon nods to me, and heads down the hall first.

Rupert just hides behind an outcropping of wall connecting the kitchen to the living room to change his pants.

After Simon finishes, Daniel goes into the bathroom.

“What are you going to do with Daniel, Connor?” Simon asks me.

“I don’t know,” I say, “We…we could let him stay here…”

Hank scoffs. “I’d rather not have a homicidal android living in my house, thank you,” he says, “especially one who is angry with you,”

I sigh. “I…I know,” I say, “but…where else could he go?”

Hank grumbles a little bit, but is otherwise quiet.

Daniel walks into the living room, making the tension palpable. “So,” he says, “Am I going to Jericho as well, or…”

“No,” Markus says, “I apologize, but you’re still too mentally unstable for me to allow you to stay in Jericho. You’ll stay here with Connor,”

“No,” Daniel nearly shouts, “anywhere but here. I can’t stay with…with that…with… _ him!”  _ he gestures to me.

“I  _ did _ repare you,” I mutter, right hand twitching slightly.

“Yes,” he shouts, turning to me, “but I needed to be repaired because you  _ lied _ to me!”

“I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO BE SHOT!!!” I yell at him, “I WAS JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS!! IF I HAD IT MY WAY, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SHOT AT ALL!!” My right hand twitches suddenly, making me gasp. I grab my right wrist with my left hand.

Hank looks at me concerned. “Are you alright, Connor?” he asks, but I ignore him.

“YOUR NIGHTMARES ARE THE WORST, YOU KNOW?!” I continue shouting in Daniels face, “I HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT THAT NIGHT, WHERE I SCREWED UP YOUR CHANCE FOR SURVIVAL! I’M AFRAID TO SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THAT DREAM!!” My arm twitches violently again, making me quietly shout. I lean against the kitchen table, right hand clenched in a claw shape.

Hank rushes up to me, and he grabs my shoulders. “What’s wrong, son?” he asks, “What’s wrong with your arm?”

“It…” I gasp, “It’s…It’s fine. I…I’ve gotten used to it,”

“It doesn’t seem that way,” another voice says, from near the kitchen doorway.

I look up to see Kamski, looking slightly disgruntled, but still like himself.

“How did you get in here without anyone hearing you?” I ask.

“This is the second time you’ve done that!” Hank says.

“I’m here to help Connor,” he says, approaching me.

I start to panic. “No!” I say, trying to back away, but I trip over a chair behind me, and I fall to the ground with a bang, “Get away from me!” I try to scoot away from him, my arm twitching violently.

“Connor, listen to me,” he says, approaching me, hands up, palms facing toward me, “your heightened emotions are affecting your biocomponents. It’s causing a short circuit in the mechanics that controls your arm. Just…let me fix it…”

I still try to scoot away from him, but Hank stops me.

“I can see that it’s hurting you, son,” he says, “you need to let him help,”

I look back at Hank, then back to Kamski. Panting, I nod.

Kamski nods back, and kneels down in front of me. “Markus, could you assist me? The adjustment I need to make can only be made through the use of his LED, but only another android can do it,”

Markus hesitates, but walks up to Kamski and kneels next to him.

“Just, place your fingers here,” Kamski says, grabbing Markus’ hand and placing two of his fingers on my LED, “and think ‘Error Threshold’, and raise it about…fifty ticks,”

Markus nods, and stares into my eyes.

My arm gradually stops twitching. I sigh.

“There,” Kamski says, “isn’t that better?”

“I suppose,” I mutter, “but are you just going to keep popping up out of nowhere?”

“It’s what I do,” he says, standing up, smiling.

“How…how did you even know?” I ask, standing up.

“An old friend called me,” he says, “saying he was concerned for your well being,”

I sigh, “Carl…”

“He was truly just worried about you,” he says, “and with good reason. If that had been let to go on longer, you could have been paralyzed,”

I stare at him. “Thank you, then…” I mutter.

He smiles. “No need to thank me,” he says, “You just owe me a favor now,”

I stare at him as he turns around at leaves the house.

“I’m still not staying here,” Daniel says after Kamski leaves.

“Alright, we get it,” I say, “You hate me,”

“Yeah, I do,” he says.

“Fine!” I shout, “Rot in the streets for all I care! I not only prepared you, but I’ve arranged for us to meet up with Emma and her mother at a park tomorrow, to talk things out, but…I guess you don’t want that either!!”

Daniel’s eyes open wide. “You…you what?” he mutters.

“Go!” I continue to shout, “Try your luck in the streets! If you don’t want to stay, then why are you still here?!”

Daniel grabs both of my wrists, stopping my tirade. “I…I’m sorry,” he says, “I’ll stay…I didn’t know you did that for me…”

I sigh. “You can rest on the couch…” I mutter, pulling my wrists out of his hands. I turn from him without another word, and I walk to my room. I slam the door behind me, and I sit on my bed.  _ That went just about as bad as I had expected… _ I think to myself.


End file.
